4 Lessons of Faith From an Unnamed Woman

by Barbara Latta

March is Women’s History Month. Each week this month we will explore the lives of women in history or the Bible who have inspired us with their examples.

The Bible gives us the names of many women whose courage and faith blessed generations. But we also find some in Scripture who are not named.

Lessons of faith from an unnamed woman are revealed to us in the story of the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:21-34.

Not only had she suffered for twelve years with her malady, but she also suffered from loneliness, isolation, and fear of poverty.

In the past two years, we have glimpsed what isolation is like. But except in the case of a person’s illness, none of use were isolated alone. And those who did contract the virus were not quarantined for twelve years.

We have endured masks, plexiglass partitions in restaurants, and enough hand sanitizer to peel the skin off, but we have no idea what it would feel like to walk around shouting, “unclean,” so no one would come near.

Those words stated so often would take root in a person’s heart and drive their identity into the ground. The feelings of worthlessness would prevail over every other thought. The woman in our story wore a cloak of shame, even though she didn’t do anything to cause her illness.

But this is what the Law of Moses commanded for this condition.

If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or it if runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. (Leviticus 15:25 NKJV)

This unnamed woman had given up hope. She had spent all her money and visited multiple doctors. Nothing helped.

But she heard about Jesus and faith grew (Romans 10:17). 

The testimonies of healings reached her ears, and she pursued the Healer.

Here are 4 lessons of faith we can learn from this unnamed woman:

1. She pursued Christ. A great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.. When she heard about Jesus she came…(Mark 5:24b, 27a) When she heard what Jesus had done for others, she didn’t turn away in doubt thinking it wouldn’t happen to her.
2. She stated her objective. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (Mark 5:28) She was focused on Him and her words built faith in her heart.
3. She pushed through obstacles. She came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. (Mark 5:27) In this mass of people, she would have to push her way through. She may have been knocked down a time or two. To touch the hem of His garment she may have been on her hands and knees by the time she reached where He was.
4. She didn’t cave to fear.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. (Mark 5:33) She could have turned and left; instead, she admitted to Jesus that she touched him.

We don’t know her name. We don’t know the conditions where she lived. We don’t know her age. But we do know her faith.

Her faith made her whole and changed her life. Her entire identity transformed in a moment from one of worthless and dirty to valued and clean. 

Her story is still talked about today and shows us how our lives can change too, because without Christ we suffer from uncleanness also. But when we reach out and touch Him, we are transformed into valued and whole. 

• We can pursue Jesus.
• We can state our spiritual objectives with daily confessions and read them aloud to ourselves.
• We can push through obstacles the devil throws in our way.
• We can stay focused in the face of fear.

This woman’s given name wasn’t mentioned in the Scriptures, but her name is my book is Faith. Won’t it be awesome to meet saints like this woman in eternity?

What lessons for our lives can you add from this story? Join the conversation.

Titus 2 Women Encouraging, Educating, and Exalting Christ

4 lessons on faith from the woman with the issue of blood (click to tweet)

Explore the faith of the woman with the issue of blood as we recognize Women's History Month (click to tweet)